Oh No! Lice!

It’s every parents fear: the dreaded note in the backpack stating that someone in your child’s class has lice!

It can push you into an instant state of panic wondering, “What if my child has it and how do I get rid of it? OMG might I have it too? I feel a bit itchy! Did she get it because she is not bathing enough? Is it my fault?!!”

Rest assured, it is NOT your fault nor your child’s fault. But what can you do about it?

Check out this week’s Mad2Glad Parenting Tip to Discover the 5-Part Plan For Getting Rid Of Lice.

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Follow this 5-Part Plan For Getting Rid Of Lice:

Remain calm

Acknowledge emotions (both yours and your child’s) and empathize

Educate yourself

Consider getting help

Prevent

First, don’t panic! Take a deep breath so you can calmly help your child through it. She is watching your reaction to understand if this is a bad thing and if it’s her fault, so keeping calm is key.

Second, reassure yourself It’s not your fault and you can take steps to resolve the situation.

Lice happens. Lice do not discriminate and will go to both clean and dirty heads.

Now that you can let go of guilt, focus on your child.

How is she feeling? Help her state these emotions and be empathetic. (Mad2GladParenting Pillar #6)

If she is old enough, ask her how she is feeling and acknowledge that it would be difficult to have those emotions. If she doesn’t know, ask her if YOU can guess how she is feeling.

With that as a starting point, you’re ready to take action.

The combing process can be painful for a child with longer hair so there may be both physical and emotional pain. Help her feel good by acknowledging her positive behavior during the process. (Mad2Glad Parenting Pillar #2)

State, “When you stayed calm during the combing process even though I could tell it hurt, I felt proud because you showed self control.”

Third, educate yourself. There is a lot of misinformation about lice. As I have helped parents and my own children through the lice experience, I have learned that you don’t need to vacuum everything and bag all the favorite toys.

Lice prefer to crawl from head to head and need human blood to live, which does not make a couch very attractive as a new home.

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Fourth, consider getting help! There are many business that help you get rid of lice and nits (the eggs). Costs generally start from $59 per hour and go up based on hair length.

Fifth, take steps to prevent lice from finding a regular home in your household. There are essential sprays you can purchase at lice removal businesses that repel lice.

Do regular head checks to catch it early by combing through your child’s hair (preferably with a professional grade nit comb). Encourage your child to avoid head to head contact with friends.

While lice removal is not fun, it doesn’t have to throw your house into chaos if you follow the plan outlined above.

This guest article comes from Mad2Glad Parenting Coach, Suz Roemer Feely, who is a mother of 3 children: 2 gifted sons, ages 9 and 10, and a dynamic daughter, age 6. Suz and her husband work hard to create calm in their family and have found more calm AND deeper, more robust relationships with their children over the past few years. They enjoy summers at the cabin with extended family, Spring Break road trips, reading together and lots of sports activities.